Automated telephone systems, which coordinate and optimize performance of operators of facilities for out-dialing large volumes of telephone calls and which receive large volumes of telephonic requests for information, are well known. Such systems typically involve a plurality of operators using telephones and operating terminals connected to computerized telephone management systems. These systems typically include autodialers, which improve the efficiency of operations with high volume outbound calling requirements. Computerized telephony systems increase operator or agent productivity significantly and provide management with a tool for streamlining and controlling operations. These systems automatically place outbound calls from a predetermined list of phone numbers and keep track of no answers, busy signals, and other line conditions and connect live calls to an agent who is simultaneously furnished a data screen having information regarding the account of the phone number reached. In high volume calling operations, such as collections, direct telephone sales, fund raising and market research and polling, among others; these systems provide flexibility in the rate of call placement and can provide significant data management options.
Typical computerized telephony systems are monitored and controlled by a system supervisor, who can schedule and direct call campaigns, monitor statistics relating to call scheduling, such as the number of calls made per agent, the average talk time and the number of unanswered calls. However, one drawback of telephony system supervision is that a system supervisor must be on duty at all times of system operation. Another drawback is that there is currently no system available that allows a system supervisor to schedule telephony system commands according to relative command execution priorities and have the system execute the scheduled commands according to those execution priorities. Furthermore, since most telephony system commands can only be successfully executed if one or more command execution precedent events have occurred, it is would be desirable to have a system that can access a knowledge base of such command execution precedent events and determine if all required execution precedent events have occurred at the desired time of a command's execution, even if command execution is immediately scheduled, is scheduled to occur as a routine command with no immediate priority or is scheduled to be executed as a specified time in the future.
These drawbacks and system requirements are satisfied with a computer telephony, command scheduling and precedent processing system according to the teachings of the present invention.